Memories of L-Ken’s…

L-Ken’s has been shuttered for years.  The serving area is strewn with graffiti tags; the parking lot is starting to buckle.

But I wanted to capture the memories of the iconic neon sign that drew people into the family eatery.  I wanted to recall the picnic tables that people sat at as they noshed on fish fry sandwiches and tasty clam rolls with tartar sauce.  It was comfort food for those who lived north of Colonie Center; Kurver Kreme was for those who lived south of Colonie Center.

I remember the flashing neon arrows and the smiling chef, who looked as if he was both waving and holding the rotating hot dog sign.  I remember when a local publication, in the tradition of Spy magazine’s old “Switched at Birth” series, suggested that the L-Ken’s chef was a dead ringer for then-Governor Mario Cuomo.

I took this photograph two years ago, as part of one of my early experiments with HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography. Five different pictures – all at various apertures – were combined together into the one image you see on this blog post, and the separation of colors are very striking.  Plus, the clouds in the background are as drifty and as a dreamy as I remember them on that day.  Probably as drifty and as dreamy as a picnic dinner on a later Saturday afternoon.

When I took my last Kodachrome shots over Christmas weekend, I made sure that some of the photos included the L-Ken’s sign; and as soon as those photos come back from Dwayne’s Photo, I’ll post them for you to enjoy.

L-Ken’s is part of Colonie’s culture and history, just as much as the old Mohawk Drive-In sign or the Vallee’s Steak House sign or the big fiberglass muffler-holding Paul Bunyan statue.  Those old pieces of culture are gone now.  L-Ken’s remains.

But not for much longer.

The restaurant, along with that house you see in the background, are scheduled for demolition, urban renewal in the 21st century.  It’s sad and it’s wistful and those days of hot dogs and fish fry sandwiches and sweet sodas on picnic tables are now drifting into faded memories.

At some point before the wrecking balls hit, I’ll take my cameras back up to L-Ken’s and have one more camera party with the location.  Polar Panorama?  Sure.  Split-Film trick?  Why not.  Light trails from the cars along Central?  Sure, if the company will let me turn the sign on and get that neon flashing once again.

Capture the images now… before they just drift into memory.